FALL WITH ME :: in miracles, in massacres
by dragonofeternal
Summary: When Hakuryuu entered into his contract to fulfill his wishes and become a puer magi, he thought he understood the way this world and its rules worked. But with the arrival of two strangers- the haughty new student Titus and the mysterious lone puer Judal- Hakuryuu will be forced to confront his own motivations and the darkness at the heart of his contract.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: FALL WITH ME is a story that draws on elements of the Madoka Magica universe without necessarily being a crossover. Knowledge of that canon is helpful, but by no means required to understand and appreciate this story as long as you have some passing notion of what a magical girl/boy is XD I hope you all enjoy it...

* * *

 _I wish…_

* * *

"Hey, Hakuryuu, you did a really good job today!" Alibaba exclaimed, clapping Hakuryuu on the back with a warm hand. He smiled with the radiance of a summer sun, and Hakuryuu awkwardly mirrored it.

"Really, it wasn't that impressive. My spear just makes it easier for me to hit things that fly than your sword or Miss Morgiana's kicks. Aladdin is the one who really deserves your praise. He's the one who defeated the witch."

"No way," Aladdin said with a smile. "You did a good job. You're really getting the hang of this. None of us would guess that you'd only just begun to actually use your powers."

Alibaba nodded along. "At this rate, you're gonna be better than me!" He reached out trying to grab Hakuryuu's spear. "Hey… so what's your secret, anyway, huh?"

Hakuryuu gave Alibaba a smug little smile. "Eh? Who knows. Maybe I'm just better?"

"Wha?" Alibaba looked shocked and appalled and jumped at Hakuryuu a little. "Come on, don't be like that!"

Morgiana took a few steps back, slowly turning around on her heels and looking around the room. Her nose twitched. "Something's not right. The labyrinth should have started to break down by now…" She scanned the echoing chambers above their tiny platform, and a flash of static motion caught her eye. "Hakuryuu, look out!"

Hakuryuu blinked, looking up from his horseplay with Alibaba. "What?"

The witch's lingering familiar gave a high-pitched giggle as it dove down to take out the pair with its claws shrouded in a thick black miasma. They sprang apart, but Hakuryuu's ankle caved on the landing, and he went down, hard, sprawling on the floor. A rush of adrenaline rendered him impotent with directionless terror, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

The sound of ringing bells filled the air, and a rush of black birds surged between Hakuryuu and the lingering familiar. Hakuryuu peeked an eye open, trying to figure out where the birds had come from. They were not the product of a witches magic but something else. Hakuryuu felt his heart swell with hope as a dark figure appeared above, silhouetted against a pitch black sunburst.

The figure's lips moved in wordless incantation, and scores of pitch black icicles emerged from the echoing caverns of the labyrinth, driving down into the familiar's body. The creature screamed, almost human, and fizzled to static and then nothingness. Hakuryuu watched in awe as the boy drifted down before him and the sound of birds and bells softened to a gentle murmur. He glanced at Hakuryuu, bright red eyes boring straight into him.

"I..." Hakuryuu said. "I mean, thank yo-"

The boy smirked and turned, springing off for the labyrinth's exit.

"Judal!" Aladdin called after him, and the boy paused.

"Ehh… that reminds me," he turned and back and looked at the group. "Mini Magi, you seen a rogue familiar running around your city? I came out here cuz I thought maybe this prey was my girl turned witch, but the symbols are all wrong."

All eyes turned to Aladdin, and he slowly shook his head. The boy, Judal, scoffed and shrugged.

"Figures." He flipped a rude gesture Aladdin's way and turned back around, disappearing into the labyrinth's shimmering disintegration.

Hakuryuu shakily dusted himself off and glanced at Aladdin. "You know him?"

Aladdin was still staring after the fleeting shadow of Judal. "Not really. He's a legend among Puer Magi though... He moves around all over the place, never staying in one spot for too long. He's pretty notorious for stealing grief seeds out from other people's noses, and I've also heard a lot of stories of him getting in Kyuubey's way when he tries to get new people to make contracts. He says he's the strongest Magi, and he intends to keep it that way."

Alibaba stuck his tongue out at the fleeting figure. "I hate guys like that. You know, people who think they can just bully other people into doing whatever they want."

Hakuryuu nodded. "He sounds like a troublesome person." Yet Hakuryuu couldn't stave off one question in his mind- If Judal wanted to get rid of any of his competition, why not just let the familiar take him out? "We should head back out of here before the labyrinth gets too unstable."

* * *

"Alright class, listen up. We have a new student joining us today." The teacher stepped aside, gesturing to a blond boy with bright eyes. "This is Titus, and he'll be part of your class starting today."

Titus bowed to everyone. "Hello!" His voice was clear, with only the faintest hint of an accent. "I'm new to this country, and I hope you'll all be kind to me!"

"Hakuryuu is our class representative. If you have questions, feel free to ask him." The teacher gestured to Hakuryuu with his workbook. Hakuryuu tried to smile at Titus, but he just felt… awkward. He never knew what to do when put in the social spotlight like this.

Titus turned his nose up and strode to his seat without saying a word to Hakuryuu.

Hakuryuu supposed someone else might have found it rude, but to him, it was a relief. Hakuryuu turned his face back down to his notes, and went on with the rest of his day. Classes, lunch, then classes again all blended together into the same, reassuring mental smudge of school life. After that was clubs, student council today, and he sat there mostly silently as he did his duties. Hakuryuu was good at school- mature, studious, and skillful. He had every intention of making his brothers proud and doing right by his dead parents, and to that end he had resolved to keep his head down, work hard, and get into a good school. Being a Puer Magi and a witch hunter would always be second to that.

"Hey, new kid," called an almost familiar voice.

Hakuryuu looked up from the sidewalk as he exited the school's gates. No sign of who… He glanced around, confused.

"Up here," the voice called again from a nearby tree.

Hakuryuu looked up to see Judal perched in the branches, a smile on his face and a half-eaten peach in his hand. He waved at Hakuryuu before taking another bite.

"Ah." Hakuryuu nodded to him. "Hello. Can I… help you?"

Judal shrugged. "Maybe. Whatcha doing? You going somewhere fun now that you're done with school?"

Hakuryuu eyed Judal suspiciously. Aladdin had warned him this man was dangerous, but he was another Puer Magi. In theory, their goals were similar. "I was just... going to meet up with Aladdin and the others. We tend to patrol the city for a little after school and our clubs let out to make sure there are no witches about."

"Cool, cool." Judal took another sloppy bite of his peach, juice and bits of fruit falling on his rumpled clothes. What did this man do during the day? He didn't look to be much older than Hakuryuu himself. "Say, you see a witch with this symbol, you let me know. That one's mine." He tossed a crumpled piece of paper at Hakuryuu.

Hakuryuu uncrumpled the piece of paper, staring at the messy pen sketch of a witch's symbol within. Even knowing it was just a facsimile, it still sent a chill down his spine to see a mark like that in broad daylight. He folded the paper back up with twice the care Judal had given it and tucked it into his wallet. Judal nodded in approval, jumping down from the tree.

"Awesome, thanks." Judal began to walk down the road in the opposite direction from Hakuryuu.

"Do you want to join us?" Hakuryuu asked. "We'd be happy to have an extra set of eyes to watch out for trouble, and if you think there's a possibility the witch you've been pursu-"

"It's a familiar," Judal corrected, "I don't know if it's turned into a witch yet. And I'm more of a lone wolf."

Hakuryuu frowned, crossing his arms. "You know that many of the early ideas about wolf behaviour, such as alphas, betas, and lone wolves, are factually inaccurate and based on studies done on captive wolves from different packs, not-"

Judal blew a raspberry, not bothering to turn around and respond properly. Hakuryuu uncrossed his arms with a huff. What a contrary man. There were more important things to worry about than just keeping his own glory in line by getting rid of a familiar. Fine then, Hakuryuu wouldn't waste any more effort trying to recruit Judal to their cause. A glance at his watch said he'd be late if he didn't get on the way soon, anyway. Hakuryuu jogged down the road to reach the park between his and the other Magi's schools.

Alibaba and Morgiana were already waiting there, but Aladdin had yet to arrive. At least he wasn't the last. Alibaba waved when he saw Hakuryuu approaching.

"Hey! Did your archery club go well today?"

Hakuryuu shook his head with a smile. "I actually have Student Council today, not archery."

Alibaba sighed heavily. "Maaan, you work so hard. If I didn't get along with so many of my club mates I think I'd just drop out and join the go-home-early club."

"How would you get into a good college, then, Alibaba? They look at all your extra curriculars." Hakuryuu took a seat across from Morgiana, and she passed him a bottle of juice with a wordless smile. Their hands touched briefly, and Hakuryuu felt his own smile grow a little wider.

Alibaba playfully smacked at Hakuryuu's arm. "Yeah, yeah, I know... You think my mom and old man don't remind me about that, too?"

Hakuryuu grinned. "Well if you're having so much trouble being a Puer Magi, maybe being a good student would be more your speed."

"Hey!"

The two began another round of playful horseplay when a strange voice called out to Hakuryuu.

"Excuse me," it said, and all three of them turned to look.

From the way that Hakuryuu had come stood the new transfer student, and he stared at them with his sparkling, light eyes. Hakuryuu couldn't tell if it was a look of fear or wonder. "Are you... did you say Puer Magi?"

"I..." Alibaba glanced at Hakuryuu, who glanced back at Alibaba as well.

The transfer student apparently didn't feel like waiting for a response when it seemed he wouldn't get one, and so he strode forward, head held in a haughty tilt. He looked the group up and down, and after a bit nodded. "Very well." He held out his hand. "I am Titus Alexius, and I would like to join your little group of witch hunters."

Aladdin finally came jogging up, hair bouncing as he ran. "Sorry I'm late! I got caught up with-" He stopped short, staring at Titus. "Who's this?"

Titus smiled and strode over to Aladdin. "I'm your new teammate. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Aladdin looked Titus up and down before breaking into a massive smile. "All right then! I'm happy to have you here then! I'm Aladdin!" He took Titus's hand and shook it warmly. Leave it to Aladdin to accept friendship without question. "It sure is nice to have another lovely lady join our team!"

Titus flushed an angry red. "I am not a lady!"

"Eh?" Aladdin looked baffled. "But you have such a lovely figure and a nice plump bu-"

"Titus is a classmate from my school," Hakuryuu interrupted, trying to save everyone from further embarrassment. "I didn't realize he was a Puer Magi until he followed me here."

Aladdin still looked a bit confused, but he smiled anyway. He took Titus's hand and shook it warmly. "I hope we can be friends, then! I'm Aladdin, and you already know Hakuryuu..." He turned and pointed. "And over there are Morg and Alibaba, too! All of us are Magi who work to protect this city from witches!"

Titus awkwardly straightened his uniform and coughed. "Of course. So. Are you heading off to hunt a witch now?"

"Sort of?" Alibaba said, hopping up. "We patrol around for a little while every day after school, just to make sure there's not any witch activity showing up in town. Most days it's pretty quiet here thankfully, but you never know when danger might strike!" He pantomimed the slash of a dagger, bouncing into his loose sword stance and dancing from foot to foot. "So, we all do our best to be ready!" He sprang forward at the group of other Magi, as though stabbing for the kill, but produced his soul gem with a big, goofy grin at the last moment. The golden stone pulsed to life, and Alibaba looked shocked. "Ah…"

Aladdin's eyes widened a little. "Looks like it's not just gonna be another boring day of patrol after all."

Alibaba nodded. "Come on then!" He charged through the group of the three of them, tucking his soul gem back into his fist. "Let's go!"

Morgiana sprang up from her seat and chased along after Alibaba, and Aladdin, Hakuryuu, and Titus followed in close pursuit. Alibaba lead them headlong down the street, laughing as he ducked around businessmen and shoppers. Hakuryuu and Aladdin mumbled apologies to all those who stared after Alibaba in indignant surprise.

"I ran into that boy," Hakuryuu said as the group followed after Alibaba, "Judal. He said he's here because he's chasing down a familiar that may have turned into a witch." He fumbled the paper out of his pocket and passed it to Aladdin.

Aladdin grabbed it and scanned it quickly. "Morg, have you seen anything like this around town?" He tossed it to her.

Morgiana took the paper and glanced over it before giving it a light sniff. "No. I don't recognize it. And it just smells like that other Magi." She turned around to hand it back to Hakuryuu, and he folded it away once more.

"Well, if that's the case, we might be snagging it out from under his nose then!" Alibaba laughed. "To the victor go the spoils!" He stopped suddenly, and everyone else had to backpedal and cartwheel their arms to keep from running past or crashing into him. "Let's check my gem again…." He pulled out his soul gem, eyeing the pulses. "Aaah, this one thinks she can outsmart us! It's really on the move!" Alibaba shoved Titus out of the way to charge down a side street. "You can't beat us, witch!"

Titus huffed and glanced at Aladdin. "Is he always like this?"

Aladdin smiled back. "It's part of his charm. Alibaba doesn't let anything keep him down!"

Morgiana pointed after Alibaba. "We should really get going before we lose him."

The group took to their heels again, chasing after Alibaba once more. Hakuryuu's heart was pounding, but not unpleasantly. It was nice, having this group around him, even if it was hard for him to find his way into conversation without feeling awkwar-

Alibaba came tearing back towards them, nearly knocking Hakuryuu and Aladdin over. Morgiana and Titus gracefully hopped to the side to avoid him. "It's a fast one this time! I can't tell where it's heading!"

Hakuryuu scowled as he straightened his jacket. "Are you sure your soul gem isn't malfunctioning?"

"What?" Alibaba frowned. "I'm sure it's around here somewhere! Or like. In this direction somewhere."

Hakuryuu sighed and conjured up his own soul gem. "If you went at a more manageable pace, we would be able to track the witch better." He gazed into the icy blue, patiently watching for movement. The light flickered and twisted, pulling after one direction and then another. Useless. "Ugh."

Aladdin sighed. "Looks like it's either going too fast for us to track, or there's more than one witch in the area."

Hakuryuu clenched his fist over the soul gem to return it to ring form. "In that case, I'm going to head home."

Alibaba looked up, stunned. "What? But what about the witch? Or witches?"

Hakuryuu sighed heavily. "I don't have time to run around playing hero all night. At the risk of sounding callous, I have a lot of other responsibilities outside of being a Puer Magi." He turned around and headed back for the main street.

"But what about-"

Hakuryuu paused and glanced back. "If it's running around, we'll never find it. Once it's settled down enough to set up a labyrinth, we'll be able to track it down without running ourselves ragged." He bowed to his friends. "Good night everyone. I'll see you tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

Every morning, Hakuryuu felt more and more like a fraud. He woke, stretched, and showered. He dressed, brushed his hair, and ate. It was routine, mechanical, like the motions of a doll, and he wondered if anyone else saw him that way. Hakuei complimented him on how early he was up when he came down for breakfast, and Hakuyuu smiled at him over the morning paper.

There were always smiles now. He did his best to reply in kind. He did his best in everything: that was simply what a good, intelligent boy like him did. The ring on his finger could never be as heavy a burden or expectation as what lay in his own mind. A smile was heavier to pull than a bow, harder to swing than a spear. In archery club, his arrows flew straight and true, and his clubmates laughed and clapped him on the back and said Hakuryuu'd carry them to the nationals. He always replied humbly. His clubmates left him with the cleanup, and they changed into street clothes without him.

Hakuryuu sighed, leaning against the wall outside of the locker room. He wasn't quite ready to go meet with Aladdin and the others, nor did he want to go and face his siblings. Getting stuck with cleanup was fine with him in all honestly. He fidget the ring off his finger, rolling it around in his palms. The sensation offered little solace. He tossed the ring up, relishing how the world closed in on that tiny speck, and his body went dark and fuzzy until the ring reached its apex and fell back down to Hakuryuu's hand, bringing clarity and feeling back with it. Up and down. Dissociation and clarity.

Hakuryuu caught the ring again and stared at its smallness in his hand. It still felt warm despite the cool breeze in the air. "Foolish," he muttered. "There's no way but forward." He slipped the ring back on his finger. "I should get changed and finish cleaning this up."

The last sounds of his clubmates leaving out of the far door echoed through the locker room as the door clicked shut behind them and left Hakuryuu standing in silence. He opened his locker, placed his bow inside, and reached for his bag when a cold chill of dread came over him. A flash of movement crossed the gem on his ring.

Witch.

Hakuryuu grabbed his bag and slammed his locker shut. He bolted from the locker room, over the grounds, past the gate, and nearly collided with a blur of dark hair as it sped by. Hakuryuu stumbled to keep from falling over as Judal lept from the sidewalk to the fence and from there to a tree without so much as a glance in Hakuryuu's direction. Hakuryuu glanced over his shoulder in the direction of his meeting place with Alibaba and the others and then back at the rapidly disappearing Judal.

Hakuryuu took to his heels. The others would catch up fast enough, if Alibaba didn't stupidly lead them astray again. It was impossible to keep his eyes trained perfectly on Judal, so instead Hakuryuu followed his soul gem down streets and to the edge of the city.

The witch's labyrinth was on a hillside- a silent, festering wound in the pavement that pulsed with unholy light. It wasn't the sigil Judal had shown Hakuryuu, but he had little doubt the other magi would be there. Something about the way he'd been running, and the way Aladdin had spoken of him, left little doubt in Hakuryuu's mind about whether Judal would hunt down a witch that wasn't his specific mark. Hakuryuu drew in a deep breath and stepped through the veil into the labyrinth.

* * *

A storybook princess high in a tower made of concrete and cellphone service- a castle that was cardboard cutout on top of skyscraper empire stretching far far out into the distance and away from the entrance where Hakuryuu stood. A bell rung out, or maybe a scream (a song?), and all around was flowers and daisies and fields like childhood. Atmospheric fog set in as the labyrinth finished manifesting, leaving the castle a vague thing in the distance.

"Simple enough to know where to go," Hakuryuu sighed, holding his spear at the ready as he cautiously toed his way along a path of trodden wildflowers. These were the only sign of Judal, but Hakuryuu had no doubt he would find him somewhere further down the way. He kept his spear at the ready as he walked, never knowing when something might jump out. Gradually the path lead down, down, away from fields and through the earth, into visions of mansions and office buildings and fairy-tale pages. Hakuryuu met a dead end at a wall painted like an office, and turned slowly until he found the door forward half-open in a comically outsized book that lay open on the table. He opened it up and jumped through.

Wind whistled in his ears as he fell, and Hakuryuu let out a sigh, just enjoying the quiet of the labyrinth. The ground was approaching, and Hakuryuu braced for impact. He hit it with a roll, minding his knees, and between his care and the augmented strength of a puer he barely felt it. It felt good.

Hakuryuu could feel the pulse and power of the witch now, and he quickened his pace from a careful creep to a jog. There was something fulfilling, something exhilarating about this moment, the moment before the battle, and Hakuryuu had to hold himself back from grinning. Up ahead now he could see the office building, the castle, the final door, and he knocked it open with his spear at a full run.

The witch's runes flashed before Hakuryuu's mind, and the perfect storybook in front of him was enveloped in flames. Hakuryuu's gut twisted, his mind wrenching away from him, to fire and bodies and a hand, a hand reaching out and grasping his shoulder with grim purpose to beg him, to order him, because he was the only one-

Judal smashed into the wall next to Hakuryuu with a sickening crack, and Hakuryuu jolted.

"Tch... " Judal wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "Is than all you got, you dumb witch?" He leaned on his staff and pulled himself to his feet. "You'll have to do better than that if you wanna take me out!"

Hakuryuu coughed awkwardly, adjusting his grip on his spear. "I-I came to help."

Judal looked over, and the naked surprise on his face was almost adorable. "Woah. Where'd you come from?"

Hakuryuu gave Judal the same sort of smirk he'd usually give Alibaba for underestimating him. "It's the duty of puer magi to hunt witches, isn't it?" He waved a hand at Judal, and the worst of his injuries melted away. "I saw you running and decided that you didn't deserve to have all the fun."

Judal laughed, tossing his hair a little. "Very well. That's not a bad attitude to have." He flicked his eyes back to the witch, and Hakuryuu followed his gaze. "She's getting ready to attack again. On my mark, scramble."

The witch shimmered in the heart of the flames, a sword-and-daisy-chain monstrosity around a glimmering core. She let out a horrible scream, almost human, and her body surged upward into a horrifying maelstrom. Hakuryuu swallowed, flicking his eyes back towards Judal.

"Now-"

"Just a second more," Judal hissed. His soul gem glittered in his forehead. "Just…. Patient… and…" A burst of fog enveloped the two of them. "Now!"

Hakuryuu bolted to the side, and he could only trust that Judal had done the same as a rain of swords crashed down where they'd just been standing. Black steel pierced the fog with horrifying rapidity, riddling the ground with holes and tearing the storybook backdrop. The broken ground curled and blackened behind Hakuryuu's feet like burning paper. The witch reformed and surged after each of them, and Hakuryuu whirled back upon her, calling up his magic to form a wall of wood and weeds to block the surging of the daisy chains.

On high, he saw Judal, in flight in more sense of the word then one, as the witch's reaching grasp came after him. She wrapped him in her embrace, and a crackle of force held her off for only a moment before she grasped Judal so tight his body snapped like a ragdoll. Hakuryuu felt a spike of panic, and he lept over his own defences to leap at the core of the witch, driving his spear deep within her horrid golden heart. He cared not for the flames or the screams, and it was only when she shattered to nothing but a grief seed that he let the magic flow out of his spear and back to his soul gem.

Hakuryuu stared down at the grief seed, slowly bending to pick it up. The whole world was twisting, turning around him. Pinwheels of fire and metal exploded to dandelion tufts that drifted away on the wind, and magic drained from the air like rainwater down a gutter. Discordance harmonized; the world shifted, right side upside over and under and down and steady again.

As the labyrinth slowly dissipated around him, Hakuryuu was left standing on the starlit hill. He lifted his head to Judal, and found him flopped into the grass, staring up to the sky with a grin. Hakuryuu slowly walked over and sat down beside him.

Judal glanced over with a grin. "You're not half-bad for a newbie. That angry attack there at the end! Pow! That was some good shit." He laughed. "I guess I mean thanks for saving me or whatever." Judal waved a hand, and Hakuryuu was taken aback by how darkened the soul gem on Judal's finger was.

He silently reached over and slipped the ring from Judal's finger. It returned to its soul gem form, and Hakuryuu gently tapped the grief seed to it before servicing his own.

"You're surprisingly generous," Judal said, arching a brow.

"Someone has to be," Hakuryuu grumbled, tucking the half-spent grief seed somewhere safe. "Puer and Puella Magi are supposed to work together."

"Hah! So what, do you think I'm part of your little gang now? Fat chance!" Judal rolled onto his side, grinning at Hakuryuu. "Aladdin and all the others… they're just a different breed from me, you know?"

Hakuryuu resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead just cocking his head to the side. Hair cascaded across his shoulders in a black-blue curtain. "How so? Because you're a 'lone wolf?'"

Judal shook his head, surprising Hakuryuu by sitting up again. His fingers lightly brushed through Hakuryuu's hair, tucking it behind his ear and leaning in so he could whisper into it. "It has nothing to do with my decision to work alone. It's just the way we are."

Hakuryuu shivered, a jolt of something unnamable running through his spine. "I. We?"

Judal laughed, a bit too loud for how close he was to Hakuryuu's ear, and pulled away again. "Hah, I was wondering if you'd notice!"

He lept into the air then, and Hakuryuu shuddered as he felt the rush of power as Judal called on his soul gem. His ears filled with tinkling bells and rushing rains and the flapping of a thousand dark birds, and Judal stood before him. Or, more, balanced one footed on his twisted black staff, wobbling a little to keep even. His hair flowed loose and dark around him as he gestured around him.

"Yes, we! People like Aladdin, or Alibaba, or Morgiana… They've all got such bright, pure hearts. Hearts that could fight forever and barely darken at all. Soul gems truly worth admiring! But I'm sure you're starting to notice by now… Guys like you and me go through grief seeds like candy!"

He lept into the air and did a flip, now balancing one handed on the spear. The way he moved, with a careless, nihilistic ease that could so easily be mistaken for carefree joy, sent shivers down Hakuryuu's spine. He realized, as he gazed deep into Judal's crimson eyes, that he was waiting for an answer.

Hakuryuu nodded weakly. "I-I guess? I haven't really… I mean we just met and..."

Judal's face split into a grin. "Those guys are all stupid. Passion, emotion, all those things you feel when you're young and full of life… They're the things that make you strong in a world like this. It's not about who's got the biggest sword or the strongest light. If anything, a little darkness is a good thing! It's why I'm so damn strong!" He pointed his free hand straight at Hakuryuu. "And it's why you're picking this up so much faster than Ali-boob-a."

Judal swung around on his hand to sit in the pitch black crescent of his spear, arched around its spines and the bright red of the gem that hovered in the middle of it. The intensity of Judal's gaze, Hakuryuu realized, was another thing that sent shivers down his spine. That piercing red gaze, like a hunter, like an animal, like a hunger that could not be tamed, burned straight through him, straight into his very heart.

"What did you wish for, Judal?" Hakuryuu asked suddenly.

Judal started, almost falling off his staff. "Huh, what? Do you really want to know?"

Hakuryuu swallowed thickly and looked down at his hands, clenching fistfulls of his loose pants. He'd come straight from his archery club to try to help fight, and he felt shabby in his practice clothes next to Judal. "I heard… that the strength of a Magi… is based on the strength of their wish."

"Hah!" Judal laughed. "Well, that's a funny way of looking at it, but yeah, I guess it could be true in a way!" He tilted his head to the side. "So what, you want to know what I wished for that made me so strong?"

Hakuryuu's head snapped up, cheeks flushed. "No, that's not-" He shook his head. "I just. Want to know."

Judal pondered the thought, running a hand through his hair. "Hmm… Awfully sentimental for you. Being a Puer Magi's a dangerous line of work you know; shouldn't go getting so attached to people." He jumped off his staff, letting the magic dissipate and return to his soul gem. "But I'll tell you what- let's make a deal. You tell me your wish, and I'll tell you mine. Sound fair?"

Hakuryuu nodded. Judal's silhouette against the starlit sky was like an eclipse on a moonless night- dark on dark, with only the sense of absence to convey what should have been there. Hakuryuu felt safe staring into that void, as though somehow he knew that Judal would not judge him harshly for the cruel words he was about to say. Even so, his mouth felt dry as he spoke.

"I wished… and this will sound foolish and cruel… awful, really… but I wished that my mother had died in the fire that killed my brothers instead of them. I… I swore to them that I'd avenge them with my own two hands but…" Hakuryuu laughed, bitter and sick at the flat sound of his own voice. "I was too weak to kill her myself. I didn't want to go to jail. I didn't want to see my sister's face. And I knew I couldn't get away with it, because I was all alone." He laughed, too high, all wrong, and his face went pinched. He couldn't see what Judal was feeling; his face was all shadow. And so, his entire world focused in on himself, on the sound of his own, wrong voice, and the shaking of his hands. "I wished for a world where I wouldn't have to be the avenging hero. Isn't that just ironic." He leaned his head forward onto his knees. "So now I'm the only one that remembers a world where that happened. My brothers go to her grave every year to clean it and pray. My sister cries for her sometimes. But I still have scars. I still remember her mouth. That cruel mockery of a smile that scares me more than any-"

Judal's hand invaded Hakuryuu's world, an iron grip on his shoulder to pull him back to reality. Hakuryuu slowly raised his head to stare into Judal's eyes. He was smiling, softly.

"No wonder you're so strong," he said. The tenderness in his voice was uncharacteristic and startling. "You did well. You had a good wish."

Hakuryuu bit his lower lip, nodding without another word. Judal didn't let go of his shoulder until the shaking stopped, and when it did, he flopped into Hakuryuu's lap, staring back up at the sky with catlike satisfaction. Hakuryuu hesitated for a moment, but then began to stroke Judal's hair.

"So what about you?" he asked softly.

"Hah, man, next to yours mine sounds fucking kindergarten now. I should have gone first!" Judal grinned, closing his eyes. "I've always been alone, you know? My whole family died when I was little, and after that I bounced around from place to place a lot. Unwanted. Useless. I'm never going to be able to get a good enough score on my entrance exams to get into a good college. And I'm not really good at much of anything else. So when the chance to become a Puer Magi crossed my path, I didn't give it a second thought! Who wouldn't give up being a nobody to be magic? Not only that, but I made the smartest wish a Magi could make." His eyes snapped open. "I wished to be the strongest Puer Magi that ever lived, or ever would live again. So strong that no Magi would ever surpass me. See? Kinda silly compared to yours."

Hakuryuu shook his head. "I don't think it's silly at all. It's a very practical wish. Being strong means you're more likely to survive, right?"

"Not necessarily. I've seen lots of people who were almost as strong as me die from doing dumb shit." Judal sighed, nudging his head backwards into Hakuryuu's touch. "But it's fine. I mean, it's a good wish for me. I'm the strongest, and I'm the sort of person who belongs in a job like this. I had no prospects before; now I have a purpose. I make my world my own. Other cats and kittens that get into this… they're just stupid. Most people's wishes aren't worth it. Or they wish too small! Wanting to have cake with someone one last time? Wanting a boy to like you? It's stupid!"

"But you-" Hakuryuu stopped himself before he could finish. But you wished small too- after all, didn't you want to become strong to have a place you belonged?

"But I?"

Hakuryuu shook his head. "But you don't have any family. So even if the worst happens, you won't be mourned." He found himself smiling at the morbid brilliance of it all. "You're the kind of person who would probably hate leaving behind a bunch of idiots to cry over his death."

"Damn right."

Hakuryuu leaned his head back and stared up at the sky. "If I ever died… they'd probably put me near my mother. That's reason enough to stay alive, I suppose."

"Mmm-hmm." Judal shut his eyes again, and the two lapsed into silence. Overhead, the stars offered no answer; the pale light of distant dying universes bathed the two of them in a pale glow that felt almost as otherworldly as the labyrinth they had defeated. The cold had begun to seep into Hakuryuu's clothes, into his skin, and yet he felt no need to get up quite yet. Something about the weight, the realness, of Judal in his lap felt… right. Good. His hair was soft too, softer than Hakuryuu would have expected with how much it flew in every direction. If he had been offered another wish at that moment, it would that this could last forever: the two of them, together, in the quiet calm of a cool night, watching the stars as they slowly shifted overhead.

The thought startled Hakuryuu a little.

"Hey, Judal," he asked. "Where do you live?" He had to do something to keep from thinking thoughts like that.

"Everywhere and nowhere, I guess." Judal said with a shrug. "I'm a nomad, a wanderer. Like an alley cat. I make my home where I can. Most of us who have been at it a long time do that. The body doesn't age once you become a Magi, so eventually you gotta skip town."

"And for someone who didn't have a home to begin with, it's easier to just leave than to try to stay?" The pieces were falling into place like the latticework of a spider's web. Only instead of finding Judal the indomitable black widow at it's heart, Hakuryuu now saw him for the struggling fly he was. His heart ached.

Judal scoffed and hopped up. Apparently that was one strike too close. "Yeah, something like that. Why, what's it matter to you? I thought I told you getting sentimental was a dumb idea."

Hakuryuu flinched, grabbing his bag and getting up to join Judal where he was standing. "I guess I just. I mean. It was getting late, and I mean." He laughed awkwardly. "I've seen you following some of the others home after fights to make sure they get home safe. If you were going to do that for me, I…" He fidgeted with his bag strap, feeling like a stupid lovesick girl. "I was going to invite you to at least spend the night. My family's estate is rather large and, I mean, you look close enough to my age. I was thinking of telling them you were an upperclassman or something and that you'd been helping me study late at the library."

Judal shook his head, but there was a small smile on his lips. "Just how long have you been staring at me, huh?"

Hakuryuu smirked back, trying to ape some of the cocky arrogance Judal always exuded. "Maybe if you'd been paying closer attention you'd know." He started down the hill, back towards town. "Come on, if you're coming."

* * *

Hakuryuu's family home was a grand thing, all landscaped ponds and traditional architecture. Judal toed his battered shoes off with as much dignity as he could in such a grand place while Hakuryuu went and apologized to an unseen brother for being out so late and worrying the family. Judal watched the conversation happen in silhouette through the sliding paper door. It ended with a ruffled head and Hakuryuu swatting away a hand that obviously cared for him deeply.

"I brought one of my senpai home with me," Hakuryuu said as he stepped back out, "that's okay right?"

"Of course," replied the voice from the other side, warm and inviting. "Have you two eaten yet? If not, there's leftovers from the dinner Hakuren made earlier."

Hakuryuu nodded. "All right. Thank you. I'll be sure to offer them." He gave a half bow once more before sliding the door shut and glancing over at Judal by the door. "You don't have to hover by the door all night, you know. Come inside."

Judal laughed, a little too loud, and hopped up into the hall. "I was just waiting for you to come back."

Hakuryuu smiled and lead Judal through the halls of his family home. They were halls full of history, he explained, and ghosts, both spiritual and personal. He'd lived there his whole life. Even after the fire, they didn't move out; just stayed in the guest house on the property until the repairs were done. Sometimes he wonders what the Hakuryuu that would have lived this life would have been like up until the moment when he made his wish to live this reality instead of his own. Did that self even exist? Judal listened to the story in respectful silence, watching as their shadows played over the walls like puppets in the dark.

Hakuryuu wondered, sometimes, if his brothers could tell he was the wrong Hakuryuu. If his bitterness gave him away for an imposter. The two of them paused before his bedroom door, labeled with a handmade sign his sister had given him, and Judal watched him with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe none of this existed until you wished for it," Judal said, almost light in his tone. "I try not to agonize over that shit too much. When you deal with magic, and wishes, and things that change the world to not exist the way it did before, there's no point in trying to understand what's going on. Either we live or we don't, either we're real or we aren't, it's all just what it is in the moment."

And in that moment, Judal's hand laid over Hakuryuu's on the doorknob to open it. Hakuryuu hated, or perhaps loved, the way his heart skipped a beat at the touch. Judal brushed past him into the room without so much as a glance though, and Hakuryuu wondered if his pangs of affection were stupidly childish.

"For what it's worth," Judal said, looking around Hakuryuu's room, "I think you're the real deal. And I'm sure whatever your brothers think they love you very much. That's the kind of life you're blessed with."

Hakuryuu's room was free of the trappings of childishness- all of those things had been lost to the fire, and replaced again when he became a Puer Magi. It was the room of a boy who longed to be a man, who put his studies before his own life even, and who would do everything he could to make his family proud. Judal hmmed at it all.

Hakuryuu sighed, joining Judal in it. "You're so confident in what you do. I'm almost envious, even though you seem like a real fool." He shut the door behind himself. "I have a western style bed now, but I've got a futon in the closet you can borrow to sleep on."

"Thanks." That was all the invitation Judal needed to go help himself to the closet. "I woulda just slept on the floor, or snuck into your bed once you fell asleep if you hadn't had it." He winked at Hakuryuu and flung the futon in the center of the floor. "Night, Hakuryuu."

Hakuryuu sighed, considering for a moment saying something about his homework, or the inconvenient placement of the mattress, or of any of the many things that having Judal draped across his floor made him wonder, but he decided not to. He tip-toed around the futon and onto his bed, flinging his tired body into it. He was still in his practice clothes, he realized as he clung to his pillow. But he felt so heavy. "Good night, Judal," he said, sleep closing in on him.


	3. Chapter 3

Judal was gone in the morning, and Hakuryuu found himself surprised at how lonely the discovery made him feel. Over breakfast there were questions- Didn't you have a classmate over? How did studying go? -and Hakuryuu answered with lies, lies lies.

He had always thought himself an honest man, but nowadays lies seemed as natural as breath. His resurrected family life was like an elaborate play; why resist giving the lines that would make them happy? Hakuryuu excused himself from breakfast early, claiming that he was needed at school early today.

"Seems rough," Judal said, startling Hakuryuu as he left the grounds of his family estate. "Having 'em care about you so much. I bet you're exhausted before the day even begins!"

Hakuryuu whipped his head up to see Judal perched in a tree by the entryway, and he smiled in spite of his annoyance. The morning sunshine danced over Judal's face as the leaves shifted in the gentle breeze. Hakuryuu sighed. "Do you enjoy startling people from high places?"

Judal's face split into a grin, and he jumped down to walk beside Hakuryuu. "Ah, you got me! I've got a thing for dramatic entrances from above."

Hakuryuu shook his head. "You're like a cat."

"Meeeeow!" Judal said with a laugh, pantomiming a cat paw next to his face. "And you're like a guy that doesn't like answering personal questions."

Hakuryuu tsked. "I just- Well, you're the one that made this morning awkward, vanishing like that! They were all wondering where you'd gone."

"Still avoiding~" Judal sang, skipping ahead.

What was there to avoid? Of course it was exhausting to be cared for like his family did. There was no way to possibly not worry them, no way to meet their expectations. He wasn't as naturally studious as Hakuyuu nor as gregarious as Hakuren. He was simply the youngest, the baby, the one they all worried and fretted over, never knowing that he was the only reason they were still there.

"I think you know the answer just fine."

Hakuryuu quickened his pace and passed Judal. Perhaps the others had been right to see Judal as a worrisome annoyance. The witch fight and their talk on the hillside seemed a lifetime away now. Judal cocked his head to the side, watching Hakuryuu pass, and then followed quietly after him again. There were no more questions, no more intrusions about his personal suffering and pain. Judal simply followed Hakuryuu with quiet purpose.

As they drew close to Hakuryuu's school, Judal paused once more and waved. "Well, I'm gonna jet. You take care, okay Hakuryuu?"

Hakuryuu deliberated for a moment before turning back, but apparently that was all the time Judal needed to vanish from view. He bit his lip and sighed. What a strange man. Though no stranger than the rest of this world of witches and wishes. Hakuryuu went into school and pushed thoughts of Judal from his mind.

Study soothed Hakuryuu's mind. His awkward morning of questions went forgotten in the grind of lectures and the smug pride of graded tests with perfect scores. Above a puer magi, he was still Hakuryuu. He was still a star student. No matter how that life tried to take over, he was the one in control.

But, he thought with a bit of a smirk as he walked to the after-school meeting place, he was still a master in that realm as well. After all- he and Judal had taken down a witch just the two of them! And, as Alibaba had noted, he was starting to pull his usual team as well. They were lucky to have him.

He greeted the gang with a wave as he strode up. "While you all were goofing off last night, I took care of the witch we were chasing the other day," Hakuryuu said with only the tiniest bit of haughtiness in his tone. "Judal and I tracked it to the edge of town. He even let me keep the grief seed." Hakuryuu produced the seed with a flourish and waited for their awe.

Instead of the praise he had expected, the three looked on with some befuddlement.

"But we were chasing it all night!" Alibaba protested. "All over the city! Again!"

Morgiana frowned, thoughtful. "We must have been chasing the familiar Judal was after instead."

Hakuryuu's shoulders sagged. Of course there were bigger issues than his own pride. He tucked the grief seed away and shoved his own feelings down with it. "Well then, we should try to formulate a better plan to hunt it. At this rate it'll turn into a witch, and then people will really be in danger."

They all nodded nodded, and Hakuryuu sat down at the table to plan alongside his friends.

"So is Titus still feeling under the weather?" Aladdin asked as Hakuryuu pulled out his notebook and made himself comfortable.

"Huh?"

Alibaba waved a hand. "He was running around with us all evening until all of a sudden he felt really crappy and ran off. Is he okay?"

Hakuryuu blinked. He had, in all honesty, not even paid that much attention to Titus' absence. "I, uh. He wasn't even in class today, so I assume so."

Aladdin nodded and smiled brightly. "Well, hopefully he feels better soon! It's always nice to have more people here with us!"

Hakuryuu shrugged but forced himself to return the smile. "Of course."

On a map of the city, they marked off the areas and patterns the familiar had gone before. It was seemingly random- the errant zig-zagging of a drunkard or a madman running with no direction but the desperate notion of away, as though it knew it was pursued with utmost vigilance. They drew up plans to split ways, to try to head it off into confrontation. Hakuryuu held comments that perhaps they should enlist Judal's assistance. It wasn't like they had any way to contact him anyway.

In the end, Hakuryuu paired off with Alibaba, and Aladdin with Morg. Hakuryuu walked quietly, leading the way so that they didn't have a repeat of the other day with Alibaba sending them on a wild goose chase. Not that Alibaba seemed to mind. He smiled at Hakuryuu as they walked along, humming a happy little tune.

"The familiar seems stationary today at least," Hakuryuu said.

Alibaba laughed. "Or you're just a better navigator than me! That's possible too." He elbowed Hakuryuu and leaned in close. "Just what's your secret, anyway?"

Hakuryuu felt his smile and his pride return somewhat. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just naturally gifted at hunting witches."

Alibaba sighed dramatically and laughed. "Well, I'll just have to work even harder to catch up! I'm the plucky underdog now."

"Can you really be the underdog if you've been at it for longer than I have?" Hakuryuu elbowed Alibaba back. Alibaba stuck his tongue out at at Hakuryuu and the two shoved and slapped at each other.

"Hey now!"

"Hey what?" Hakuryuu asked playfully.

Clouds swallowed up the warm sun on their backs as Alibaba sputtered and sulked. The soul gem guided their way, a single pulsing path through the city. Hakuryuu led them a bit north of the direct route, glancing between the stone and the sky as they walked.

"Worried about rain?" Alibaba guessed.

Hakuryuu shook his head. "More wondering why it's gotten so still."

Alibaba grew solemn, frowning and touching the earring with his own soul gem. "Maybe it finally turned into a witch."

Hakuryuu nodded. The answer seemed as certain as the grey sky above. They circled around a little further, back and forth to try and and get the best idea of its location they could.

"Aladdin texted," Alibaba said, glancing at his phone. "He and Morgiana are gonna head in. They think it's in a park."

Hakuryuuu tsked. A park could be a devastating place for a witch to prey on humans. "We should move in as well. We need to act quickly."

The two strode off at a brisk pace- not running, because it might arouse suspicion of passerby or spook the familiar if it hadn't quite turned into a witch yet- but enough that they hit the the park in good time. The air grew thick with malevolence as they drew close, the sickening, choking power of the familiar overpowering everything else as it spidered out and into all the hearts it could reach. Around them, people with no idea of the danger growing in the park snapped at each other and scowled at passerby. Hakuryuu and Alibaba pushed on, their urgency only furthered by the weight in the air.

Aladdin and Morgiana were already there when they arrived, and with them was Titus, sitting on the swingset.

Alibaba's face lit up. "Ah! Titus, you made it!"

Titus startled, looking up at them with eyes like bright blue dinner plates. Hakuryuu found himself reminded of the look in a rabbit's eyes right before it gets snatched up by a fox.

"You're-" Titus started, shaking his head. "You shouldn't be here. It's not…. I have to go."

Aladdin's brow furrowed and he stepped closer, holding his hands out to Titus. "Titus? What's wrong? If it's about the witch, we know it's close. Having you here should hel-"

"No!" Titus yelled, standing abruptly. The chain of the swing rattled violently, and the power in the air pulsed horribly. "I- I shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be here!" He whimpered a little, stepping back away from Aladdin. "Scheherazade said I wouldn't last long, and she was right! I was an idiot to come here, but I thought you all were the same as me…"

Hakuryuu hissed in a breath and slowly circled around to the other side of the swingset. "Titus…" he asked slowly. "Where did you come from?"

Titus yelped and turned around to face Hakuryuu, his eyes darting between Hakuryuu and Aladdin. "I… I'm sorry. I never meant to. I didn't want to hurt anyone, I was never meant to last this long. She made me to…"

Hakuryuu tried to shout and warn his friends, but it was a moment too late. The ground shifted and gave way, and they were all falling apart as the playground faded away. Magic crystallized in the air, and Titus gave a horrible, gut wrenching sob as the magic that made up his human disguise ripped apart and his witch self broke free like a horrible butterfly.

Hakuryuu and the others hit solid ground hard, everything around them still a dizzy cacophony of half-formed thoughts- a grassy plain, archways of a far off place, and then, finally, the labyrinth took on the solid shape of a massive colosseum, and above them in the grandstand was the witch. Hakuryuu didn't dare call it Titus. Not any more. Now was not the time to let sentimentality blind himself to what was in front of him.

He drew his weapon from his soul gem, calling on all his magic to take on the vestments of a puer, and he moved into position to strike.

"No!" Aladdin shouted. "Don't attack him yet! There must be something else going on!"

Hakuryuu looked back at Aladdin like he was mad. "We can't give him time to strike. Now's our chance before he can summon up any big attacks!"

Aladdin shook his head again, but before he could argue, a bolt of thunderous magical force blasted up from the ground below. They jumped apart, scattering over the loose dirt floor of the battlefield. Another attack, and then another, all of them twisted masses of many magics stitched together with madman's grace, all forcing the party to scramble and dodge with no room to get closer to the golden witch that wailed and cried fat tears like crystal grapes.

The four of them were herded together against one of the colosseum's tunnels, and at their backs they could feel the distortion of the labyrinth's exit. Hakuryuu glanced at the others, stepping slightly in front. "Get out," he whispered. "I'll hold him back while you escape and try to find a way to fix this. If you really think this is something you can stop, then find a way."

Morgiana shook her head. "I'm not leaving you." She stepped forward, her own soul gem at the ready. "Either we fight or we run, I'm not leaving this up to just you."

Aladdin just stared at the witch readied another attack- this one greater and and more terrible than the ones before.

Morgiana grunted and deepened her stance. "Looks like we won't have a choice."

The witch let out a terrible noise, and the magic surged forth like a storm made weapon, the world cartwheeling stars around tears around a horrible urge to destroy that hurtled towards them at a speed they couldn't brace for, couldn't dodge-

"So this is where you've been hiding."

The attack crashed against a ringing of black birds like silence, and Judal stepped into the Colosseum like a champion entering the ring. He sauntered past, shoving Aladdin aside and parting Hakuryuu and Morgiana like a curtain to size himself up against the witch Titus had become. His dark hair whipped in the currents of magic as the witch wailed and tore at its hair, rage and melancholy consuming its beauty with a terrible force. In his dark puer's garb, he looked every inch the avenging star.

"Heh," he said with a little smirk, pointing his spear at the witch. "That was a pretty slick little trick. Taking on human form, pretending like you were one of us… To think she'd have enough juice left to make somethin' like you after the number I did on her. Gotta hand it to you, Familiar, you had us all pretty convinced!"

"Judal-" Aladdin tried, reaching for his hand. "Don't- Titus-"

"Can it, shorty!" Judal jerked his hand away from Aladdin's touch. "Don't you get it? There wasn't ever a 'Titus.' he's just some thing a witch made to keep eatin' people. And this thing's given me the run around long enough." Judal bolted off before Aladdin could argue further.

What happened next for Hakuryuu seemed to have very little to do with Titus, because he saw a different danger that was about to happen. Morgiana sprang after Judal, faster, her eyes hard, and time seemed to slow as Hakuryuu realized what could happen in the next few moments. His teammates were blinded by misplaced empathy, the witch was ruthless, and Judal was here, hunting, ready to strike at the only foe he saw. Hakuryuu turned, calling plants from the ground to snatch Morgiana before she could strike at the soul gem embedded in Judal's throat to try and buy them more time. He swivelled around and called a wall of earth and vines between himself and his other two teammates. He wasn't watching when the witch gave its death cry under Judal's strike. It was easier that way.

It was all so fast.

It all seemed to go on for so long.

The magic broke apart, leaving them in twilight in the park. Hakuryuu let his own magic drop and fall apart, because the real world was no place for such foolishness. Morgiana fell to the ground gasping, and Aladdin sunk to his knees as what had just happened sunk in. Hakuryuu felt a spike of pity for him. What was it like to be someone who fell into friendship and trust so easily that you'd mourn a betrayal this swift? Hakuryuu couldn't imagine.

Judal stode over to the swingset and picked up the grief seed, turning it over in his fingers. And then he laughed, breaking the somber silence. He doubled over, crouching down to the ground, wiping tears from his eyes. Everyone stared- Aladdin and Alibaba with a mix of horror and disgust, Morgiana with unreadable grimness, and Hakuryuu… Hakuryuu couldn't place what he felt in that moment.

"How could you be laughing at a time like this?" Alibaba croaked. "How could you laugh about someone, no not just someone, Titus becoming a monster like that?" Judal laughed even louder at Alibaba's words, throwing his head back. Alibaba's face went red, and his tears welled harder. "Stop that! You're disgusting!"

"Well it's obvious, isn't it?" Judal gasped through laughs, wiping a tear from his eye. "It's because of the stupid looks on all your faces! It's your own faults for not being able to see what he was!"

Alibaba bristled, ready to yell again, but Judal clambering to his feet made him jump and stop in his tracks.

"Haaaa…" Judal shook his head, giving a sigh and a final little chuckle. "Where did you all think witches came from? Mars? The Negaverse? Your little buddy Titus was a witch's familiar, broken free of his labyrinth and playing at being a real boy. It was a pretty smart trick; no wonder I couldn't track him down." Hakuryuu watched as Judal raked a hand through his dark bangs. No one else dared interrupt or say a word. "I wonder how many people he killed before-"

Morgiana was on him in a flash, kicking Judal so hard he was sent flying across the empty playground and into the metal jungle gym. He made a horrible cracking noise when he struck it, and his body slid down in a red smear. Morgiana's face was hard, her eyes and nose ruddy with tears.

"Don't speak about him like that," she growled. "Don't you dare speak of him at all. You didn't know him. He was a kind person. He just wanted to know the world!" She glared at Judal's slowly stirring form. "Don't you dare talk like you know him!"

Judal laughed again, slowly lifting his head. "Haah… well. Usually takes about four or five cursed humans to turn a familiar into a full blown witch…" He braced his hand against the bent play structure, pulling his body up like a clumsy marionette. He staggered slightly once to his feet, but regained his balance.

"Give us his grief seed," Morgiana demanded.

Judal laughed at her. "Why?"

"Because if you don't, I'll beat it out of you."

Aladdin stood, going to her side. "Morg, don't."

Judal's grin fell away as he stared at the two of them. "You really shouldn't waste a perfectly good grief seed on sentimentality. But whatever. You brats are young, you're grieving, just coming to terms with your own foolish, impotent place in the world as your feeble little minds piece together where you fall in the greater life cycle of witches." He chucked the grief seed at them. "Whatever. I don't really give a shit." He made a rude gesture and turned away, starting off towards the edge of the lot. "You won't see me again, probably. I was here to hunt that familiar, nothing more, nothing less."

They watched as Judal strode away and jumped up onto the top of the fence separating the park from the rest of the surrounding area. He barely made a sound.

Hakuryuu's heart hammered in his chest as he watched the darkness of Judal's form perched on that fence, like a psychopomp about to pass from one world to the next. Like he was about to disappear from his life forever. This foolish, cruel man who said they were alike. Judal lept from the fence, and Hakuryuu tore after him.

* * *

"Where do witches come from," Hakuryuu said, cutting off Judal's path.

The two of them stood atop a tall building at the edge of town. The sun was just beginning to set in the west, and the last of its warm light did nothing to warm the cold dread in Hakuryuu's bones. Judal's long braid swayed in the breeze, and he laughed a little.

"You really are following me, aren't you? Didn't know I'd ever get a fan."

"Where do witches come from, Judal," Hakuryuu repeated. "I have a guess, but I know that you know the answer for certain. Answer me. I don't like playing games when I don't know all the rules."

"Well then you picked the wrong game to play, my man."

Hakuryuu didn't let the bitter sharpness of Judal's voice stop him. He stared at Judal with as much levelness as he could, waiting. Judal didn't meet his gaze. Even when he looked towards him, it was never at his face- always just over his shoulder or down at his shoes or at the tip of the spear pointed at his personage. Finally, Hakuryuu realized Judal wasn't going to talk.

"I think…" he started slowly, "I think that witches are somehow related to Magi. That there's something that happens that turns Magi into witches. Maybe when they're slain in bat-"

"It's the soul gems," Judal interrupted. He flourished a hand to reveal his own soul gem- already dirtied once more. "The soul gem is the seed from which witches grow. Once your heart and your soul gem are all nice and blackened from battle and sorrow and, hell, from just plain old living- it bursts free as a grief seed, and the Puer or Puella it belongs to turns into a witch. The whole game is rigged. Kyuubey makes humans into Magi to fight witches and make him more grief seeds, and eventually the Magi become witches themselves. And that is the beautiful butterfly water cycle you and all your little buddies are now part of."

Judal turned and walked to the opposite edge of building to stare into the sunrise.

"It doesn't matter if you try to run away from the life either- that little rat Kyuubey will find you, or you'll draw witches to you, or your gem will just slowly blacken because this whole world is rotten to its fucking core and there's no escaping the hatred and grief of a human life! The only way to live is to fight, and to keep fighting, until there's nothing left of you to fight anymore."

Hakuryuu found himself astounded at how tight and small Judal's shoulders could draw themselves. How long had he been at this? How old had he been when he had contracted with Kyuubey? He found himself thinking of mythology, of boy gods eternally young and foolish and terrible and cruel and lonely, and he saw the distance between Judal and the rest of the world

Hakuryuu embraced him. He didn't know what else to do. Judal did not shrink in his arms, or collapse into the embrace, or even fight against it. He just stood there, stock still. It fell on Hakuryuu to lean forward, to bury his face in Judal's hair, to breathe in his scent and feel his realness as he tightened the hug. This strange world always seemed to fractalize when he was with Judal, the pieces of his wish splintering into sections, and all of what was true and real focusing down to just them, just this moment of the warmth of Judal's body or the sound of their voices or the prickle of their power in the silence between them.

"That's what you meant when you said we were the same, and that most people are throwing their lives away for nothing." It felt like a stupidly simple response, but maybe simple was what Judal needed. "We're people who had nothing. We were already alone and adrift. Maybe we still are."

Hakuryuu dropped one hand from the hug and slipped Judal's soul gem from his clenched fist. He still had the grief seed from the other night- the grief seed from the witch he and Judal had conquered together. Hakuryuu slipped Judal's soul gem into his pocket to tap the two together, and when he pulled it out again it was bright and clean. Judal glanced down as Hakuryuu nudged the soul gem back into his hand, and Judal gave a surprised little laugh.

"You're too good to me," he said. "Too, too good."

"Someone has to be," Hakuryuu replied. "You'd tear yourself apart at the seams, otherwise."

Judal turned back to face the horizon again, mirth draining all too swiftly from his face. "I wonder how much longer I have before I become a witch," He murmured to the dawn. "It seems my soul gem turns black faster and faster each time."

"That was my last grief seed," Hakuryuu whispered.

Judal shrugged. "We'll find some. Though that familiar… he got me thinking. If a familiar can have human thoughts, what's to say a witch couldn't keep some? Are they still watching from the inside? Could they learn to control their actions?" He glanced over his shoulder at Hakuryuu, his smile back to guard his lips and heart from pain. "Just imagine- a witch that eats other witches! Cutting a swathe of destruction across the land, unmaking any Magi or witch in their wake!"

Hakuryuu bit his lip as he stared into the wideness of Judal's eyes. They were filled with a terror and exhilaration not unlike the thrill of death or battle, and Hakuryuu felt their fervor deep within his own gut. Judal twisted in the embracing, pulling away enough so he could face Hakuryuu enough to clasp his hands tight on Hakuryuu's shoulders.

"Just imagine," Judal's lips said, but Hakuryuu didn't need their missive. His mind was already full of the whirl of destruction, of a witch as potent as Judal's own maddened battle lust- nay, of a witch strong enough to surpass him. What horrors and hurts would his labyrinth contain? What fragments of this strange boy who danced in the moonlight and lived nowhere would be left when his grief truly consumed all kindness within him? Hakuryuu swallowed tightly and shut his eyes, and he saw a world wrought by a madman's hand. Somewhere full of heroes and storybook heights and the sad, broken feeling of lonesomeness, of roving, of never knowing a place where you belonged because you were a stranger in your own skin. In your own life. "Imagine it, Hakuryuu."

Hakuryuu put a gentle hand over Judal's heart and opened his eyes, staring up at him. "I can. I did." He forced on a wry smirk, and he could see where Judal found protection in it. "You'd be awfully lonely if you were a witch, Judal. And I couldn't just let you rampage across the world unchecked."

Judal's face did a strange thing that Hakuryuu couldn't quite place. "Oh? So you'd stop me?"

Hakuryuu shook his head a little. "If you're so intent on being a benevolent witch, why would I do that? Maybe I'd just follow along. Keep you in balance. Or failing that… I could at least be the bait you chased that would lead you to your next prey."

Judal was smiling now. "Oh, so you think I'd chase you to the ends of the earth?"

"Maybe."

Judal examined Hakuryuu through sharp, narrowed eyes. Hakuryuu stared back with equal confidence, unwilling to back down or see himself beaten. And then Judal broke their gaze, looking away with a laugh and running a hand through his hair.

"Well, I don't intend on turning witch before I have to. Seems boring. Then how would I eat peaches? Or bother other Magi?" He laughed. "Well, maybe I'd still be able to do that last one." Hakuryuu watched Judal adjust the ring with his soul gem as he paced away once more. "Anyway this has been a fun 'educate the new kid' time, but I'm leaving now. Like I said before, I won't bother you again."

Hakuryuu watched Judal step off the edge of the building and swoosh off on a burst of magical energy with a sigh. He turned away from the sunset, to the town where he'd grown. He watched as the last light of day bathed those familiar streets in warmth and life, knowing that for everyone there that this had been just another day.

"I can take that grief seed off your hands now," came an eerie, childlike voice.

Hakuryuu looked down to see Kyuubey sitting beside him. He frowned. "You've been scarce lately." Kyuubey didn't respond, instead electing to clean himself. "Have you been avoiding Judal?"

"I'm sure when he finally becomes a witch, he'll be one of the strongest we've had in awhile," Kyuubey said, not pausing in grooming his paw. "A witch like that would probably do much to fight the entropy of the world once it was broken down into a grief seed."

Hakuryuu scowled, feeling his heart harden with resolve. He pulled the spent grief seed from his pocket and chucked it at Kyuubey, and Kyuubey caught it with ease. "Don't talk about Judal like that."

Kyuubey shrugged. "Very well. Shall I leave you be?"

Hakuryuu glared at Kyuubey, and the bright white creature bounced off to leave Hakuryuu to his thoughts. So it was true. Not surprising. Hakuryuu sighed, looking over the town one last time.

"Alibaba… Aladdin… Morgiana…" He shook his head. "No. To my brothers and sister as well. I have chosen another path. This…" he gripped his fists tight, invoking the power of his soul gem. "This is goodbye. Forgive me." Hakuryuu turned on his heel, feet pounding against the concrete before he leapt from the edge of the building in the pursuit of the tainted Puer Magi who was rapidly vanishing into the setting sun.


End file.
